Profile America - Rosa Parks

WASHINGTON - Today marks the birthday of Rosa Parks, a shy woman who became a symbol of the civil rights movement. When she died, a member of congress said: "There are very few people who can say their actions and conduct changed the face of the nation — Rosa Parks is one." Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. This sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks, eventually leading to the civil rights movement and desegregation. During her life, Rosa Parks championed the cause of increased opportunities for youth. When she was arrested in 1955, the average black child had attended about seven years of school. Now, 84 percent of African- American adults have a high school diploma.